Oppositions & appeals: patents

Mewburn Ellis has an excellent reputation for its opposition and appeal work at the European Patent Office. We excel at both attacking the validity of other people’s patents and defending our clients from third party attacks.

Success at oppositions & appeals at the EPO can be vitally important to our clients. It may determine whether their patents remain in force or whether problematic patents granted to third parties remain an obstacle. Familiarity with the procedural aspects of the opposition & appeal process is imperative to avoid the many pitfalls.

Europe’s number one choice for patent oppositions & appeals

Patent attorneys at Mewburn Ellis have a long history of working on patent oppositions & appeals – between them, over the years, we have successfully defended and attacked thousands of patents.

The experience of Mewburn Ellis’s patent attorneys in presenting robust arguments both in writing and in person at oral proceedings is unrivalled. Our unparalleled success in this field has led to some of our partners, particularly those in the life sciences patent team, spending the vast majority of their time working on oppositions & appeals at the EPO.

We have an outstanding track record at defending patents we have drafted and prosecuted ourselves. In fact, our record in patent oppositions is so exemplary that companies often transfer responsibility for defending their patents to us during opposition even when we were not responsible for drafting or prosecuting the case. When there is a need to be successful in opposition or appeal, Mewburn Ellis can be trusted to deliver the results. Increasingly we have become the first choice for patent oppositions and appeals across Europe.

Creative written submissions and effective advocacy

We are well versed in all areas of EPO opposition & appeal law and practice. We prepare creative and persuasive written submissions and our attorneys have a reputation for giving impressive performances at oral proceedings. We actively encourage all our attorneys to involve themselves in oral proceedings from an early stage in their career. Starting from when they are assistants, we ensure that they get the best training and become effective advocates themselves.